散场 (sàn chǎng) — (of a performance, gathering, or movie) to be over; for the audience to disperse

Definition

Means a performance or screening ends and the audience leaves. Used for movies, shows, and similar events; not for meetings or work ending (散会/下班).

verb
(of a performance, gathering, or movie) to be overfor the audience to disperse

Examples

  • 散场，。
    Diàn yǐng sàn chǎng le, wǒ men zǒu ba.
    The movie's over; let's go.
  • ，。
    Diàn yǐng sàn le chǎng, guān zhòng dōu lù xù lí kāi.
    After the movie ended, the audience left one after another.
  • 散场，。
    Yǎn chū sàn chǎng hòu, yǎn yuán men chū lái hé guān zhòng hé yǐng.
    After the show ended, the performers came out to take photos with the audience.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

散sànscatter
场chǎngvenue

散场 joins 散 meaning to scatter with 场 meaning venue or performance to describe people leaving and the event ending.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 林林líntrees, forest
  • 攴攴pūto knock, to tap

散 combines 林 (trees or forest) and 攴 (to knock or tap), originally showing knocking to clear vegetation, later extended to breaking up or dispersing.

Open 散 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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